_17th._--Started early; and, as we have had no rain for two days, the river was quiet, and we only reached an island about fifteen miles from the Madalam. It shows the difference, however, between ascending and descending a river. About two a.m., our garei being well ahead, we saw before us a herd of wild cattle, quietly picking at a few blades of grass on a broad pebbly flat. I landed with a couple of men, to get between them and the jungle. I was within twenty yards of the nearest, a piebald, and was crawling through the tangled bushes to get a sight of him, whom I could hear browsing near me, when there arose a shout, then a rush, and the cattle were off dashing close to me, but perfectly concealed by the matted brushwood. It was the crew of one of the newly-arrived boats that, regardless of the warnings of their companions, had thus lost us a chance of a good dinner. I felt that, if my gun had been charged with shot, I could almost have peppered them. Shortly after I shot a pig through the back as he was crossing the river; but as all my men were Mahomedans, it was not worth while tracing him in the jungle. He bled so profusely in the water that he could not have run far. About five, we were passing down a rapid at a great pace, when one of the men touched me and pointed. I looked up, and there was a magnificent bull, three parts grown, standing within fifteen yards of me. To put up my gun and let fly was the work of a moment; but, before we had dashed on many yards, the beast, which had fallen on his forehead, was up and away. After a little time, we managed to stop the garei; and, landing, found traces of the beast’s blood. My feet were so painfully wounded that I could not manage to follow it, but left it to my men. A couple came up with him, as he stood with his legs well stretched out, bleeding profusely. He took no notice of them, even when they were within spearing distance; but all their nerve was gone, and they were afraid to thrust their weapons into him. They waited till the whole mob of hunters arrived, when the bull apparently recovering himself, dashed away into the jungle. Having secured the boats under the islands, I divided a tablespoonful of beans each, with a little pork fat to those who would take it. Musa told me that most of the men wanted to stay behind and follow the wounded Tambadau; but that, if I wished to go on, there were five volunteers who would pull straight to Brunei, now about a hundred miles off by river. To this I agreed.